Megan Thee Stallion is no stranger to vulnerability. Behind the confident alter ego and chart-topping hits, the Houston rapper has steadily become one of the most influential voices advocating for mental health awareness in the music industry. During an emotional conversation with actress Taraji P. Henson at the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation’s inaugural I Am the Table Benefit Brunch in Maryland on Sunday (Oct. 12), Megan reflected on her journey toward healing and the moment she realized she could no longer carry the weight of her pain alone.

Fighting back tears, Megan opened up about the years of grief and trauma that followed her mother’s death in 2019 and the highly publicized shooting incident involving Tory Lanez in 2020. “Through all of that grief, I was just working and trying to be the best Megan I could be,” she told Henson. “And I didn’t know I needed therapy until one day, I was just like, ‘Damn, I’m really sad, and it’s really scary how sad I am.’”

Her voice wavered as she described the breaking point that pushed her toward therapy. “It was like, I didn’t care what happened to me. And I didn’t want to feel like that like I should care about my life.”

The moment resonated deeply with the audience, many of whom applauded the rapper for her honesty. Henson, whose foundation is dedicated to expanding access to mental health services for Black communities, praised Megan for her willingness to discuss such raw emotions in a public space often dominated by expectations of strength and perfection.

Megan’s openness about her struggles has long been intertwined with her rise to superstardom. After losing her mother, Holly Thomas, to a brain tumor in 2019, Megan continued working nonstop, masking her pain behind her work ethic and larger-than-life persona. Just a year later, she survived being shot by fellow artist Tory Lanez, an incident that sparked years of legal proceedings, online harassment, and public scrutiny.

Despite the hardships, Megan has since emerged as a beacon for resilience and self-care. Her advocacy extends far beyond her music, reaching fans who see their own pain reflected in her story. “I’ve learned that being strong doesn’t mean you don’t need help,” she told Essence earlier this year. “It means you care enough about yourself to ask for it.”

Megan’s advocacy recently earned her recognition from The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ nonprofit, which honored her with the 2025 Mental Health Champion award. In her acceptance statement, Megan expressed gratitude for the acknowledgment, writing, “I’m honored to receive this year’s Mental Health Champion award from The Trevor Project. My goal has always been to use my platform to help break stigmas around mental health and provide resources for those seeking safe spaces to have honest and heartfelt conversations.”

Her commitment to that goal has been consistent. In 2022, she launched Bad Bitches Have Bad Days Too, a wellness website offering links to therapy providers, mental health hotlines, and crisis support for young people. The initiative, which has since expanded internationally, was designed to help fans find accessible tools for managing anxiety, depression, and trauma.

A year later, she joined the Seize the Awkward campaign, a national mental health awareness effort encouraging young adults to check in on their friends and normalize difficult conversations about emotional well-being.

For Megan, the importance of therapy goes beyond her personal healing, representing a cultural shift. Within hip-hop, where vulnerability has often been stigmatized, her openness challenges outdated notions of toughness and stoicism. By speaking candidly about therapy, grief, and emotional exhaustion, Megan Thee Stallion has helped reframe what strength looks like for a new generation of artists and fans alike.